Of Artisan Stock: Ten Things Spyro the Dragon Is
by Scarabbug
Summary: Spyro the Dragon is many things. Here are some of them. Ten oneshot fanfictions set between the “Spyro the Dragon” and “Spyro: Year of the Dragon” videogames.
1. Adopted, Technically

**I think I'll call this "Ten Things Spyro the Dragon is." They're done in roughly chronological order. Each one is very short. **

**Set in the original Spyro the Dragon universe (i.e. **_**not**_** the "**_**Legend of**_**…" series.) The story, as you might have guessed, is named after Number One on the list and is taken, in turn, from the title of a Science Fiction story, "**_**Of Polymuff Stock**_**".

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Of Artisan Stock: Ten Things That Spyro the Dragon Is or Was. 

1. **Adopted (Technically). **

Actually, he's always known he isn't really an Artisan.

Or at the very least, he's always _suspected_ it. Right from the day when he first decided he finds it a lot easier to answer Gnorcs with horn thrusts and bursts of fire than literature and attempted conversation. Artisans were the kind of dragons who thought, and considered, and imagined and pondered. Spyro, on the other hand, _acted_.

_Just_ like a Peacekeeper would.

Hearing a story from the old balloonist about the late (_purple) _dragon egg, found in the clutches of two thieves in the middle of Doctor Shemp's Temple just certifies what Spyro already knows. They sent him here, to a world of green and light and air, away from the deserts they thought were too harsh for a hatchling to grow up in. away from his origin. Except he brought all that energy with him and now he's unleashing it on the Gnorcs.

Spyro Artisan is not of Artisan stock. Not really. And where's the sense in denying your bloodline?

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**Technically, I suppose if I really **_**need**_** these, the fic has failed to do its job, so here's hoping you understand without the explanations, but… **

**Fic #1 Explanation: When I played the original Spyro game (my first self-owned game for the Playstation –**_**just**_** called Playstation**** then, I might note. None of this fancy _PS1_ rubbish), I was given the impression that the Artisan worlds were such a very peaceful and intellectual place, I half expected there to be libraries, yet Spyro seemed so full of energy and... and the need to hit things until they broke. Boundless****. I far more attributed him with the qualities of a Peacekeeper World – determined, strong, brave and always up for a fight. Thus, the germ of this story came about. **


	2. Named, Literally

**I think I'll call this "Ten Things Spyro the Dragon is." They're done in roughly chronological order. Each one is very short. **

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**Of Artisan Stock: Ten Things Spyro the Dragon Is or Was.**

2. **Named (Literally). **

Spyro likes his name.

He thinks it's fitting, not only because Nestor gave it to him (and Nestor taught Spyro pretty much everything that Delbin couldn't) but because of how it's his.

The story (as Nestor tells it) involves two thieves, a dragon (who has remained nameless and really, Spyro never thought to ask his name anyway), an egg, and a chase through the sand dunes of the Peacekeepers Realm. It involves the dragon running out of breath and the thieves pausing to taunt him with their prize, once they believed they were a safe distance away.

It involves the purple egg cradled in one of the thieves' hands suddenly beginning to glow red hot, and the thief dropping it and racing off, screeching in pain and alarm.

The name "Spyro", Nestor had said, means "_he who breathes fire_" in the old dragon language.

Yeah. _Definitely_ works.

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**Fic #2 Explanation: This chapter was inspired by a (presumably fanon) theory about Spyro's name origins found on a Spyro fan website where the website creator also speculated that Spyro's egg was found in the company of two thieves, and that he was breathing fire in the egg before he hatched. Therefore, the name Spyro might mean "_he who breathes fire_". It's also possible that this is connected to the old Latin word "Spiro" – meaning "breathe" and commonly seem in the phrase "_Dum Spiro Spero_" – "_While I breathe, I hope_." I think that highly appropriate for Spyro.**


	3. Discovered, Accidentally

**the "**_**Legend of**_**…" series.) The story, as you might have guessed, is named after Number One on the list and is taken, in turn, from the title of a Science Fiction story, "**_**Of Polymuff Stock**_**".

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Of Artisan Stock: Ten Things That Spyro the Dragon Is or Was. 

3. **Discovered (Accidentally). **

Spyro is a heavy sleeper. He also doesn't like the rain.

It's probably a dragon thing, even though fire breathing isn't _really_ affected unless the downpour is especially heavy. But Spyro always slept outside just because he liked it out there (and because Gnorcs seem to enjoy sneaking up on you in dark corners) and it's when he wakes up one morning and finds that Sparx –tiny as the little guy is– has dragged him several metres over a hill in order to get them both under the cover of the tree, that Spyro realised they need to go on vacation somewhere with a nice, warm beach. Hey, it's not like they don't _deserve_ it for saving the world.

And sleeping in the dry would be nice. At least Sparx wouldn't get his wings wet.

The fact that nobody is supposed to use that particular portal (the only one that goes anywhere warm – typical) because it's proven to be unreliable doesn't really enter his mind. Or else, it _does_, but he doesn't give it nearly enough thought. Really it's entirely his own fault that he ended up in Avalar in the first place.

He'd still rather be back at the beach, but for now, he figures he can make do with taking his annoyance out on those lizards who're insisting upon stealing everything they can get their little claws on. Getting to beat bad guys up is almost as much fun as sunbathing, anyway.

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**Fic #3 Explanation: This one is the most pointless of the lot. I just wanted to deal with Spyro's natural; clumsiness and how it might have gotten him sucked into the world of Avalar in the first place. You know what he's like. Still, I consider this to be the weakest out of the ten fictions I have. **


	4. Freaked, Unnecessarily

**Set in the original Spyro the Dragon universe (i.e. **_**not**_** the "**_**Legend of**_**…" series.) The story, as you might have guessed, is named after Number One on the list and is taken, in turn, from the title of a Science Fiction story, "**_**Of Polymuff Stock**_**".

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Of Artisan Stock: Ten Things That Spyro the Dragon Is or Was. 

4. **Freaked (Unnecessarily)**.

To be honest, the first time they'd met, Hunter had freaked Spyro out big time.

Two legs, for one thing. Two legs are something Spyro always associated with Gnorcs and thieves (assuming they did actually have legs) and all of Doctor Shemp's crazy minions (sure, just run_ right_ off those cliffs, why don't you?) But then again, _Elora_ has two legs, and that doesn't bother him. And it's not like Hunter had looked at him any more disparagingly than Elora had, or Zoë, or even the Professor, when they found he wasn't exactly the kind of dragon they'd been hoping for. It wasn't like Hunter was _really_ irritating, it was just… something.

They've known each other years now and Spyro still hasn't worked it out. Sometimes he thinks that maybe –just maybe– it's something to do with his dragon-instincts, seeing something in Hunter which is far more dangerous than people presume. Hunter's a secret weapon like that. Simple –until you get him to argue with Elora. Clumsy –until you put a bow in his hands and ask him to shoot. Something like a hero, if he could just take things more seriously.

Actually, in some, small ways, Hunter reminds Spyro of someone _else_ who saved the world after evil minions tried to take over.

Not that he'll ever _tell_ Hunter that.

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**Fic #4 Explanation: This fic is really more about Hunter than Spyro. He's the character who I think got the most development throughout the series. He went from a not-so-brave, boastful and clumsy individual, to a character who helped Spyro out regularly (and of course he gained my eternal love when he oh-so-helpfully sat on Moneybags). Nobody asked him to go to the Forgotten Worlds, but he did. Possibly out of gratitude. Plus he fires a mean arrow. I think Spyro might pick up on this strange contrast of Hunter's traits. **

**The idea of 'a dragon's instinct' came from the eastern idea that dragons are wise creatures. I always attributed instinct to being a type of strange, subconscious wisdom – our minds know when something is off, even when our body doesn't. Spyro knows Hunter is more than he first appears. A literal secret weapon.**

**Of course, a lot of the time, he **_**is**_** still a dork. XD **

…**And the notes are as long as/longer than the fic, now. This is officially a Bad Thing. I'm going to shut up.**


	5. Different, Evidentally

**Set in the original Spyro the Dragon universe (i.e. **_**not**_** the "**_**Legend of**_**…" series.) The story, as you might have guessed, is named after Number One on the list and is taken, in turn, from the title of a Science Fiction story, "**_**Of Polymuff Stock**_**".

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Of Artisan Stock: Ten Things That Spyro the Dragon Is or Was. 

5. **Different (Evidently)**.

Spyro the Dragon isn't an Artisan. The blood in his veins is Peacekeeper. Nestor has as good as admitted it. But sometimes, he isn't sure it matters. Spyro was still _raised_ as an Artisan, and, when you get down to it, that means _something_.

So when that really nice, (but incredibly irritating) guy in the Idol Springs asks Spyro to solve a massive block puzzle of lights and stones in a secret room underneath the temple, in order to –get this– _unlock his toolbox_ (of all the things a supposed hero is meant to waste his valuable time doing…) something in Spyro feels obliged to help him out, and he's pretty sure it's _not_ just some kind of natural instinct for helping people in trouble. But it's _still_ an instinct. An Artisan one.

Maybe he just likes the idea of a challenge. Even if the challenge involves boxes of light and patterns on the floor instead of kicking Ripto butt.

So he looks at the blocks. He analyses the light patterns just the way Nestor always taught him. He thinks about it.

And eventually, after much trail and error, he solves the puzzle.

Maybe there _is_ a bit of Artisan in him, after all.

**

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Fic #5 Explanation: Okay, so earlier, I brought up a fanon conception that Spyro isn't an Artisan dragon, despite the fact that the game begins in that realm –so what does that make him? Well, perhaps it makes him a rather attractive (usually) mix. Sometimes words get him into trouble that actions will solve, other times, his Artisan upbringing could offer him some helpful glimpses into logic (such as what was required for all those irritating puzzle games in **_**Gateway to Glimmer**_**) which a fully Peacekeeper nature of "80-percent action to 20-percent consideration" might mean he missed. You may note that Spyro is rather tricky to fit precisely into one "Dragon Family Type". He's a hodgepodge, and this fic is about how he understands who he is, in relation to how he was brought up. And that's a **_**lot**_** to say about a very short fic. **


	6. Credulous, Unfortunately

**Set in the original Spyro the Dragon universe (i.e. **_**not**_** the "**_**Legend of**_**…" series.) The story, as you might have guessed, is named after Number One on the list and is taken, in turn, from the title of a Science Fiction story, "**_**Of Polymuff Stock**_**".

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Of Artisan Stock: Ten Things That Spyro the Dragon Is or Was. 

6. **Credulous (Unfortunately)**.

Their visit to Breeze Harbour was probably the first time Spyro had ever felt anything like it.

He helps people, because that's what he does, and because it's kind of cool to be a hero. The possibility that anyone would use that _against_ him, deliberately or otherwise, never really entered his mind. It's only when the ship takes to the air like some kind of giant, inelegant bird, and he realises what the guns are for, that Spyro discovers he's made a huge mistake.

When the bird –commander– announces their planned counter attack on a realm called Zephyr (wherever the hell that is), it takes all Spyro's self control not to go find another cannon and blast the damn thing out of the sky.

He goes back to the Autumn Plains; Pays Moneybag's to open up the portal to Zephyr, and goes to blast the hell out of it there, instead.

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**Fic #6 Explanation: This was a fave theory of mine in the old days. Okay. Zephyr and Breeze Harbour. Was I the only one irritated by those two levels? I swear I can't have been the only one. The moral issues of helping the characters in one level get their warship started, and then heading off to the same level as them to aid their "enemies" in blowing **_**up**_** the aforementioned warship? Totally a no win situation and I could see Spyro reacting badly to discovering just why they wanted that ship up and running – he's not saving the world of Avalar from Ripto just so they can continue blowing each other up.**


	7. Protective, Genetically

**Set in the original Spyro the Dragon universe (i.e. **_**not**_** the "**_**Legend of**_**…" series.) The story, as you might have guessed, is named after Number One on the list and is taken, in turn, from the title of a Science Fiction story, "**_**Of Polymuff Stock**_**".

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Of Artisan Stock: Ten Things That Spyro the Dragon Is or Was. 

7. **Protective (Genetically)**.

In the Dragon Worlds, they have a saying: _It's all fun and games until someone loses_ _a tail-end. _It's one of those quotes which doesn't really _mean_ anything. The kind that people like to use whenever Hatchlings are messing about. Except that Spyro has never seen any other hatchlings. He'd always been the only one until the day he came to the Forgotten Worlds.

And now he's just… not. Now there are others. Other brothers and sisters and children and maybe even friends. And those others have been taken away from him.

He's never felt quite this… angry before. He doesn't make it obvious, because he _never_ makes it obvious (never let them see you sweat, right? Quip when they scream at you, laugh when they snarl, and when they throw threats at you; you just throw even worse threats right back at them.

The dragon eggs have been stolen, and now Spyro is standing in a strange, distant world that he thinks are probably called "The Forgotten Worlds" for a really good reason, trying to work out where they could have gotten to. Trying to find a way to bring them home.

He's not _afraid_. He's just _annoyed_. He wants his new brothers and sisters back. Oh, sure, it's all fun and games until someone _crawls out of a hole in the floor_ and steals away your entire family in the space of ten minutes.

It's all fun and games until you have to go after them and seek them out across miles and mils of another world, knowing there are some you might never see again.

It's all fun and games until you get half drowned, bribed, insulted, threatened with execution, attacked with energy bombs, and made the target of giant, freaky monsters made out of _bunnies_ all the way across the world.

It's all fun and games until your best friend goes and gets himself freaking _kidnapped_.

Ancestors be damned Spyro really _hates_ those old sayings.

**

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****Fic #7 Explanation: The explanation of this is simple: even heroes run out of steam, and even seemingly unstoppable purple dragons get nervous when evil henchmen kidnap their friends and family. I think Spyro did have some of these concerns; otherwise the game wouldn't have used it against him (and the player) in certain levels. The third game, Year of the Dragon really started to develop these ideas and I think I started to see a little more of Spyro's personality. He always acted brave and confident, even cocky, and in Bianca's words, gave them impression that he was "just not afraid of anything". But I think he was. He just didn't let it stop him. Ever. **


	8. Vengeful, Inherently

**Set in the original Spyro the Dragon universe (i.e. **_**not**_** the "**_**Legend of**_**…" series.) The story, as you might have guessed, is named after Number One on the list and is taken, in turn, from the title of a Science Fiction story, "**_**Of Polymuff Stock**_**".

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Of Artisan Stock: Ten Things That Spyro the Dragon Is or Was. 

8. **Vengeful (Inherently)**.

The very first thing that Spyro wonders is "Who the hell are you?"

The second thing, after a moment's thought is "who the hell are you and what have you done with the real Hunter?"

Because the _real_ Hunter? Would totally not be looking at a girl like that after she'd just walloped him with an energy bomb. In fact, Hunter didn't look at _anyone_ like that, except maybe Nestor on a bad day, and hey, that guy was twelve feet tall with a wingspan of five metres, and a very formal, polite dialect to go with his really, really sharp teeth. Even other dragons were surprised by Nestor.

The fact that she –her name's Bianca, right? What does it matter, anyway? "witch-in-training" will work _just_ fine for him– actually looks _scared_ when she does it doesn't make a blind bit of difference when Spyro turns his fire breath on her and blasts her halfway across the meadow. He doesn't care how scared she is. She just _attacked his friend_. While actually aimingat _him_. So Spyro is obviously going to take pleasure in getting rid of her, right?

Right.

Which doesn't actually explain why Hunter is looking at Spyro as if he just kicked a puppy. As if he's saying with his eyes: '_you know, sometimes you scare _me_, too_.'

What Hunter actually says _aloud_ is: 'Hey… is… it just me, or is she kinda cute when she's angry?'

…Hunter really _is_ a weird one.

It's only now that Spyro realises just how scary _he_ must seem, and just how very _not_ cute _he_ is when he's angry. Small as he is, he figures that's one thing Bianca can do which Spyro can't: she can make Hunter smile when she's angry.

Which is probably not a very good thing.

**

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Fic #8 Explanation: Seriously, I loved Spyro's "you hit my friend... you were aiming at me but _you hit my friend!_ You are so toasted!" reaction to Bianca in the cut scene "The Second Warning" during _Year of the Dragon_. In fact, I loved everyone's reactions in that scene. Including Bianca's "oh shi—! I wasn't aiming at **_**him**_**, and now the dragon's gonna pound me!' face. We'd never gotten to see Spyro chase a bad guy down like that in a **_**cut scene**_**, and it was kinda cool to see him reacting so defensively, even though it was still technically his fault (hey, if he hadn't moved out of the way…) **


	9. Restless, Incurably

**Set in the original Spyro the Dragon universe (i.e. **_**not**_** the "**_**Legend of**_**…" series.) The story, as you might have guessed, is named after Number One on the list and is taken, in turn, from the title of a Science Fiction story, "**_**Of Polymuff Stock**_**".

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Of Artisan Stock: Ten Things That Spyro the Dragon Is or Was. 

9. **Restless (Constantly).**

One of these days, Spyro thinks, he's going to get around to thanking Bianca.

Yeah, that's right. _Thanking_ her.

He'd been so _bored_. And now he has adventure again. He has his entire genetic heritage to rescue from god-only-knows what the sorceress wants them for, but what the heck; he has something to _do_ now, and…

And Bianca is turning out not to be _entirely_ bad, though he's still not one-hundred percent certain that he trusts her. She let Hunter go. They owe her for that. Even if she was the one who stuck him in a cage –or whatever– in the first place. Or maybe they don't owe her at all; given all the times she's tried to pound them anyway. Maybe they're even now. Maybe she's lying and is still firmly under the sorceress's claw. Maybe...

Maybe he should stop wondering about it.

Anyway, she did something good. And she didn't do it because she wanted praise or because she expected people to like her. She did it because…

Because…

Okay, so Spyro doesn't have the slightest _clue_ why she did it. But whatever the reason, its better be good, because if this is a trap he'll have to burn some nice ear holes in that hood of hers. Whether Hunter likes it or not. Which he won't.

Yeah. Spyro's starting to understand what it is that Hunter thought was so scary about him. Forgiveness is really an Artisan quality. And possibly not one Spyro ever successfully assimilated.

_Peacekeepers_ aren't really known for being lenient, after all.

Still, maybe that doesn't matter in the end, either. After all, if Hunter trusts her... maybe Spyro can take a chance. Maybe.

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**Fic #9 Explanation: To say that Spyro get's bored easily would be the understatement of the Year of the Dragon. I used to imagine how it felt for them, going through level after level and by the time Spyro reached the Midnight Mountains, I figured he was pretty damned keyed up –his friend's still missing, he has dozens of dragon eggs to find, the sorceress keeps threatening him, Rhynoc keep trying to kill him, and Bianca, as a result, was likely to be the target of a wee bit of animosity, for obvious reasons. **


	10. Unromantic, Or So He Thinks

**Set in the original Spyro the Dragon universe (i.e. **_**not**_** the "**_**Legend of**_**…" series.) The story, as you might have guessed, is named after Number One on the list and is taken, in turn, from the title of a Science Fiction story, "**_**Of Polymuff Stock**_**". **

**This will be the final chapter, as far as I'm aware.

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Of Artisan Stock: Ten Things That Spyro the Dragon Is or Was. 

10. **Unromantic (Or So He Thinks). **

Spyro has pretty much come to the conclusion that females of every shape, form and species are an enigma it's best not to get involved with. Hunter did, and look what happened to him.

He gets Hunter wanted to spend some time with Bianca. He _gets_ that (as totally bizarre as it is). But did they honestly have to involve full moons? And… and _fireworks?_ What is this, the freaking Year of the Dragon?

Oh, wait…

When Elora comes up behind him, she has that same, proud smile on her face that she had the day when he defeated Ripto. Except this time, the smile isn't so much for Spyro. She nudges him in the side. 'Come on, Spyro, take a little break for once. Enjoy the show.'

The show. _Right_. So long as they can stay looking in the opposite direction to the lovebirds.

He should _really_ keep looking for the rest of the eggs, but he sits down anyway and let's Elora lean against him a little so they can both look up at the explosions making the sky seem bright as day. (Hey, is that Sgt Byrd with the rocket boosters? It really looks like him).

Romance. Yeugh. One less noble warrior. What the heck is Hunter _thinking_?

Spyro the dragon has absolutely no plans to ever –_ever_– fall in love. It's probably not something Peacekeepers do, and now –not for the first time in his life– Spyro feels somewhat glad of his heritage.

He'll just stick with Elora for now. She's a lot safer to be around, after all. Bipedal, nice eyes, he can let her use him as a pillow without feeling freaked out about it _and_ she doesn't try to attack him with firebombs, which, if Hunter and Bianca are anything to go by, seems to be some kind of necessary requirement of being in love. Spyro would really prefer not to be hit by anymore of those fireballs.

Still, the fireworks are kinda pretty, even if they are totally unnecessary.

And he figures he can sit still for a few minutes longer if Elora _really_ doesn't want to go.

**

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Fic #10 Explanation: Okay, you got me. I am secretly an Elora/Spyro shipper (she kissed him, after all, and I simply couldn't help myself). One of this story's reviewers actually made a rather close guess to what was due to be the content of this chapter when they commented earlier, so well done to them for predicting my thought patterns, (even if they didn't mean to). I can, however, see the practical problems that are involved with such a pairing as this and am trying to write something to counteract the problem. For now, however, you get this fic in which… Well.**

**On that note: Is it depressingly cynical that the first words that pop into my head whenever I think of Hunter and Bianca's relationship are "Stockholm Syndrome"? Yes? Okay, moving right along.**

**I hope you enjoyed these drabbles. If you didn't, please let me know why. Hopefully my next attempt will please you more. Thank you for reading. **

**-SD **


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